Fathwa, - Sex with slaves and women's rights

Question:
Sex with slaves and women's rights
Answer:
Wa `alaykum as-Salam wa rahmatullah wa barakatuh:
The following is a response on the issues of female slaves in Islam in
reply to two sets of questions.
THE FIRST SET OF QUESTIONS
I came across tafseer of the beginning verses of Surat-Al-Mu'minoon
(Al-Mawdudi), [The Yusuf Ali translation reads, "who abstain from sex,
except with those joined in the marriage bond [spouses], or (the
captives) whom their right hands possess,-for (in their case) they are
free of blame."] and I was kind of shocked and surprised that he
states it is permissible for a man to have sexual intercourse with
female slaves in his possession, in addition to his legal wives
(v.5-6).
Was. Slavery is unlawful (1) in the absence of the Caliph of the
Muslims AND (2) unless it results from captives following a lawful
war. Even so, there was always the alternative to {let the captives go
free, either with or without any ransom} (47:4). Furthermore, the
Ottoman Caliphate had declared - long before the US Abolition - that
it prohibited slavery in its realm.
Further preliminary remarks before addressing the questions:
It should be clear that Islam raised the status of slaves higher than
that of free men in un-Islamic societies even by modern standards. The
author of _The House of Saud_, an American journalist, recounts how
the staff and management of the New York Waldorf-Astoria hotel were
horrified that King Faysal in an early US visit had not only allowed
his black servant into the state dining room but had seated him at his
very table - a "white-only" table in a "white-only" room! They had no
idea that even slaves in Islam had to be FED and CLOTHED with the same
food and clothing as their owner as the Prophet, upon him peace, had
stipulated in his "last pilgrimage" speech:
"And your slaves! see that you feed them such food as you eat
yourselves and dress them with what you yourself wear. And if they
commit a mistake which you are not inclined to forgive then sell them,
for they are the servants of Allah and are not to be tormented!"
In another hadith he said, upon him blessings and peace:
"Be kind to slaves as to your own children...and those that say their
prayers are your brethren."
A contemporary commentator said:
"The masters were obliged not to put slaves under hardship; slaves
were not to be tortured, abused or treated unjustly. They could marry
among themselves - with their master's permission - or with free men
or women! They could appear as witnesses and participate with free men
in all affairs. Many of them were appointed as governors, commanders
of army and administrators. In the eyes of Islam, a pious slave has
precedence over an impious free man." Al-Tabataba'i, Tafsir
(16:338-358).
What ignorant times we live in, in which a nation that used a legally
- enforceable concept of "white-only" since its inception and then
went on to use it for two centuries, now crusades against Islam and
the rest of the world over self-proclaimed civilizational values.
Islam restored dignity to slaves and enhanced their social status both
by ancient and modern standards.
Islam made no distinction between a slave or a free man, all were
treated with equality. It was this fact that attracted non-Muslim
slaves to Islam in droves.
As someone said, it is sad to see that those who never cease to be
vociferous in their unjust criticism of Islam remain blind to this
principle of equality when even in this age there are countries where
laws are made that discriminate against the vast majority of
population to keep them in practical servitude.
As for the allegations of slavery made by the US and UK against
Islamic Sudan they are part of a joint missionary and government rogue
propaganda campaign against an Islamic government which has always
condemned and actively repressed instances of abuse in inter-tribal
warfare, while there has never been anything remotely near a
full-fledged slave trade, cf. the Sudan Foundation papers by David
Hoile posted in full: http://www.sufo.demon. co.uk/politics.htm
What follows concerns the Fiqhi rulings pertaining to the slave period
even if the present tense is used.
I'm far too ignorant to make judgments about the verse and that hukum
taken from it, so I wanted to ask if you could explain the verse, if
that opinion is generally accepted and why. Do these verses refer
solely to men, or women Believers also?
These verses refer to the permissibility of a man for intercourse with
his unmarried female slaves without having to marry them. Such an
option was not available to women owners of male slaves nor to men
owners of married female slaves.
Is it in order to fulfill his desires and avoid any unlawful fitna?
(this is hard for me to understand, seeing as how taqwa,
self-restraint, and other things are so emphasized in Islam)
His and her desires, yes, but within certain parameters including
rights. This will be detailed insha Allah.
However, it seems that intercourse with slaves was probably considered
a method of contraceptive sexual enjoyment through coitus interruptus
(`azl), since the slave owner could practice `azl without prior
permission from his slave mate while he could not do so with his free
wife without prior permission from her. And if the contraception
intended by this `azl failed and the slave woman still bore a child
from her master, her child was automatically freed and obtained a son
or daughter's rights including inheritance. In addition, the mother
herself could no longer be sold and was freed upon the owner's death.
From the slave's perspective, the above scenario could have formed an
accepted kind of lawful gamble from which she stood to gain much more
than to lose. This could be problematized with the claim that "the
cost of freedom is therefore rape" but such is just an inflammatory
rephrasing of the truism that the cost of a war captive's life is her
imprisonment; emancipation from which is a dramatically enhanced
possibility in the above scenario.
Consider some more the dynamic of manumission in Islam. It took the
French until the 1780's and 1790's through their "Revolution" and
"Terror" to finally decide that any slave that steps into French
territory automatically becomes free; but Islam had already said, 11
centuries earlier: a free parent's newborn from a slave is free and
that newborn inherits from his or her free parent.
In addition, Islam gave all slaves the inalienable right to buy
themselves out, either on payment of an agreed sum or on completion of
service for an agreed period. The legal term for this is mukataba and
the slave party to such a written contract was called a mukatab or
mukataba.
{And those of your slaves that seek a writing (of emancipation), write
it for them if you are aware of any goodness in them, and bestow upon
them of the wealth of Allah that He has bestowed upon you} (24:33).
{Alms are only for the poor and the needy, and those who collect them,
and those whose hearts are to be reconciled, and to *free the captives
and the debtors,* and for the cause of Allah, and (for) the wayfarers;
a duty imposed by Allah. Allah is knower, Wise} (9:60).
{Righteous is he who believes in Allah and the Last Day and the angels
and the Scripture and the Prophets; and gives his wealth, for love of
Him, to kinsfolk and to orphans and the needy and the wayfarer and to
those who ask, and to set slaves free} (2:177).
Note that the above verses stipulate that when a slave wants
emancipation the master not only has to agree to it but is also
directed to help the slave from his own wealth and from alms, which
includes the public treasury (bayt al-mal), the only provision being
the satisfaction that the slave would live a respectable life after
earning his or her freedom!
In addition, if a non-Muslim slave accepted Islam before their
masters, they would become free automatically. If the slave became
blind or handicapped he would also become free.
In addition to these compulsory ways of emancipation, voluntary
emancipation of slaves was declared as the purest form of charity and
included providing the freedmen with sufficient means to earn their
livelihood respectably. Thus, Islam is the first and only religion
that has prescribed liberation of slaves as a virtue and a condition
of genuine faith.
How is intercourse permissible without a marriage contract binding them?
Because the contract in place is that of property which includes the
right to sexual enjoyment but excludes the abuses used under all other
historical forms of slavery such as mutilation, inhumane labor, or
killing as was the rule in Egyptian, Greek, and Roman times, and the
cruelest of all forms, unparalleled in human history, the United
States Transatlantic slave trade.(*)
(*) Incidentally, many scholars estimate that over 20 percent of
Africans brought in bondage to both American continents and the
Caribbean were Muslim.
If the man then later frees the slave-woman, and perhaps she has a
child, would the man need to marry her? Is he still liable for
child-support? Does he still raise his children as a father? Is the
man allowed to do this with slaves that are not Muslim? (if so, under
what conditions?) and is this woman entitled to any inheritance from
him? I was under the impression that a person can only inherit by
either marriage or blood-ties. wouldn't she be considered a
"concubine"?
Yes, the word concubine literally means bed-mate and applies to any
female slave that shares the bed of her master. The man is liable to
support any child of his and whatever need of its mother that is
related to that liability. He is not obliged to marry her but is
definitely held to the responsibilities of a father including
inheritability whether the mother is a Muslim or not, her child being
Muslim. Nor is she entitled to any inheritance unless he decides to
marry her AND she is Muslim. Allah knows best.
THE SECOND SET OF QUESTIONS
1- Is slavery allowed in Islam?
See the very first answer in this reply.
If not then what is the concept about female slaves that the right
hand possesses? This phrase has been said in the quraan a few times.
Captives in a legitimate defensive war.
2- Why was sex with female slaves allowed?
There was no concept that it could or should not be.
If a man is married and he has a slave then why is he having sex with her?
Sex was part of the benefits to which the slave owner was entitled
within the framework of rights already described.
I read that the prophet (pbuh) had a male child from his slave
(Mariah). why should a married man have sex with a salve woman? Aren't
their limitations to sexual desire?
Precisely, these limitations are those mentioned by the Qur'an.
Doesn't the slave have any rights?
Of course the slave has rights as we have already mentioned. In
addition, in Islam, the slave even has rights to bring his or her
owner before a law-court.
What happened to human rights in this whole scenario?
As we mentioned already, slavery and ransom were the alternatives to
killing in war, but the slaves had to be fed and clothed with the same
food and clothing as their owner, they could not be burdened with
inhumane tasks, they could buy their freedoms, sue for their rights,
and had other human rights that place Islamic ethics in the context of
slavery above anything comparable in the ancient and modern worlds.
And when the slave gets pregnant there why doesn't the man have to marry her?
She and her child do obtain other rights as already mentioned but this
is not one of them.
3- Why did the prophet (pbuh) have 11 wives when only 4 at one time
was allowed? [...] the rules set by Allah are equal for everyone,
right? So how was this possible?
Allah Most High set some rules only for the Prophet, upon him peace.
These are known as the Khasa'is al-Nabawiyya or "Exclusive Prophetic
characteristics."
Some of those fall in the category of wajib; others in the mustahabb;
others in the mubah; others in the makruh; and others in the haram.
An example of the Prophetic wajib is tahajjud or late night praying
for most of the night. This was obligatory for him but is Sunna for
the Umma.
An example of the Prophetic haram is the eating of onion and garlic
due to his intimate communication with the angel, while it is
mubah/makruh for the Umma.
Another example of the Prophetic haram is the acceptance of sadaqa,
while it is permitted for the Umma except true descendents of his.
Another example is that Prophets are forbidden to leave any
inheritance other than sadaqa while anything any Muslim leaves is
obligatorily inheritance.
An example of the Prophetic mubah is his having more than 4 wives
while it is haram for the Umma. Another example is that he could marry
any man's widow while it is haram for the entire Umma to marry any of
his widows after him because they are literally like our mothers, and
some said, because his life in the Barzakh is literal.
An example of the Prophetic mustahabb is to show that certain
inappropriate acts are permissible by being seen doing them at least
one in his life, such as urinating or drinking while standing up, both
of which are makruh for the Umma while they were acts of obedience for
him. Another example was to leave certain meritorious acts such as
congregational tarawih and i`tikaf to show they were not obligatory,
while they are Sunna for us.
Another example of the Prophetic mustahabb was fasting without
breaking fast for longer than one day and night while such is haram or
makruh for the Umma.
An example of the Prophetic makruh is to exert himself in learning the
Qur'an while it is wajib for the Umma, or to avail himself of the
niceties of this world while it is mubah for the Umma, or to eat types
of food exotic to his native Hijaz which is also mubah for us.
There are other things that only the Prophet, upon him peace, did such
as going into battle on a mule when no one had the courage to use a
mule but used either a horse or a camel. Or naming the objects in his
property including his mirror and comb. Or his superlatively eloquent
speech and knowledge of all the Arab dialects. And many, many other
attributes.
Among the most famous books on the Prophetic Khasa'is are al-Suyuti's
al-Khasa'is al-Kubra and Qadi `Iyad's glorious masterpiece al-Shifa'.
4- It is said in the koran that when a man dies he can have up to 70
wives if he goes to heaven.
Where does it say this??
It says that he will have the wives in this life and HOORIAN. But for
women they are only allowed one husband. Why is this so?
We do not know with certainty that there will be such a restriction on
women even if the reverse would hardly be mentionable to a decent
woman. A woman in the traditional world would and does consider it a
horrible thing to say to her that "You can have all the men you want"!
The Qur'an would never use inappropriate language. However, the Qur'an
does mention that for the inhabitants of Paradise - male and female -
{There wait on them immortal youths} (56:17), {There serve them youths
of everlasting youth, whom, when you see them, you would take for
scattered pearls} (76:19).
If this does not make a believing woman happy then, as Imam al-Shafi`i
said to the one who is not moved by erotic poetry, "You have no
feelings." As for the believing men, as one of the Awliya said, some
of them will need ghusl just for hearing the verse {Same-age
young-bosomed girls} (78:33). As for us hard-hearted analphabets we
may read it and read it without effect.
In this life we know that if a woman were allowed more than one
husband, then there would be problems with the identity of the father
if she should have a child. So this will create problems, and the
father of the child will not be known. But in the after life, there
will not be new births.
Correct.
So then why cant women have men in the after life either?
It is not clear they cannot, short of an all-but-explicit orgiastic
promise if that is what one wants.
Aren't women supposed to have the same rights as men?
No. They have some rights men have, some rights men do not have, and
men have some rights women do not have.
In the koraan it says that men have a degree of power over women, ok
fine, but even in the after life its like this? Wont women ever have
the same freedom that men enjoy???? Wont they ever be able to have the
same privileges that men have?? Are women the lower cast? Is this the
way it is? And women should just accept it????
The so-called "degree of power" verse you mentioned is not about power
but responsibility and accountability placed squarely on the shoulders
of men. The rest of the relevant questions have been answered insha
Allah, and
Allah knows best.

Islamic ruling on raffle-tickets

This practice of raffle-tickets amounts to gambling. One of the
arguments in favor of raffle tickets is that the scheme is widely used
for philanthropic causes. It must be borne in mind that inArabia,
gambling in he times when the Quran was being revealed was no
exception.
In fact, owing to its "philanthropic aspect", gambling was considered
a boon rather than a bane. The rich would indulge in drinking and
gambling and would give whatever they won to the poor. Indeed, the
abstainer was regarded as niggardly. However, the Quran very clearly
pointed out that the moral corruption that ensues from such activities
is greater than whatever benefit they provide. Allaah Says )what
means(:
"They ask you )O Muhammad( about gambling and drinking. Say: 'There is
great sin in both and also some benefit for people, but their sin is
greater than their benefit.'"]Quran 2:219[
Of this moral corruption, one aspect particularly worth mentioning is
that these so-called philanthropic schemes develop the attitude of
selfishness and indifference. In an Islamic society, Infaaq )spending
in the way of Allaah( is a basic value. The destitute, therefore, are
the direct responsibility of the society and their problems cannot be
left to the mere adjustments of demand and supply as in the laissez
faire concept.
It should be impossible for a Muslim to sleep with the peace of mind,
if he finds out that his neighbour had not been able to eat owing to
poverty. Destitution, poverty, misery and disease should be sufficient
enough as reasons for impelling a Muslim to spend whatever he can
spare. 'Spend in the way of Allaah that you may be rewarded in the
Hereafter'. 'Spend in the way of Allaah that you may enter
theKingdomofHeaven'. Such adages used to be the underlying reason for
Infaaq. Should spending be: "that you may get a refrigerator )or a
deep-freezer or a VCR("? Or "that you may win tickets to Madame Noor
Jehaan's concert?"
Millions are spent merely on organizing these 'philanthropic' schemes
– millions that could be directly spent on the poor – and thousands
are spent by the gentry on the apparel they need for just one such
occasion. It is the height of indifference, prodigality and
selfishness that a person who can afford to spend thousands on buying
tickets to the concert and thousands on new clothes for the function
is not motivated to spend in the way of Allaah by the misery of a
fellow human being and by the reward in the Hereafter.
The mere knowledge that a human being is in need of what a Muslim can
spare should give the Muslim sleepless nights. Yet, there are Muslims
who can spare millions but do not take out a penny unless they are
certain of a news items and a photograph lauding their altruism.
Allaah, the Most High, Says in the Quran )what means(:
"Those who spend their wealth by night and day, in secret and in
public, shall have their reward with their Lord. On them shall be no
fear nor shall they grieve."]Quran 2:274[ and )what means(:
"You shall not attain piety until you spend out of that which you
love. Whatever good you spend Allaah knows well."]Quran 3:92[
'Abdul-'Azeez Ibn 'Umayr, one of the Salaf )our righteous
predecessors(said, "Salaat )prayer( will help you reach half the way,
fasting helps you reach the door of The King )Allaah(, and charity
allows you to enter into the King's company )Paradise(."
Their manners )i.e. our Salaf( were to smile cheerfully at the face of
the beggar and not to suspect him. They would always think that he
only begged out of dire need.
Sufyaan Ath-Thawriused to be overjoyed if he saw a beggar at his door,
saying, "Welcome to the one who has come to wash my sins."
Al-Fudhayl Ibn 'Iyaadhsaid, "Beggars are such good people! They carry
our provision to the Afterlife … until they place it on the scale in
front of Allaah, The Most High."
The Quran says )what means(:
"O you who believe! Do not mar your almsgiving by reminders of your
generosity and by hurting the feelings ]of the one you helped[, like
the one who spends his wealth to be seen by men but believes neither
in Allaah nor the Final Day."]Quran 2:264[ and )what means(:
"If you disclose your alms-giving, it is well; but if you conceal them
and give them to the poor, that is better for you. )Allaah( will
expiate you some of your sins. And Allaah is Well-Acquainted with what
you do. "]Quran 2:271[
When a concert or a refrigerator, not the 'Kingdom of Heaven' becomes
the reason for spending, it means that the whole foundation of moral
values, which are so essential to an Islamic society, has been
impaired to the extent that the edifice that rests on it may collapse
in the wake of the mildest of storms.
The sole motive behind charity should be concern for others and the
reward in the Hereafter, not Madame Noor Jehaan's concert or a
refrigerator. Loss of values means the death of society. Loss of the
spirit of Infaaq – a basic value in an Islamic society – means the
death of Islamic society. That must never be.
Allaah Says )what means(:
"Those who spend of their wealth ]in charity[ by night and by day, in
secret and in public have their reward with their Lord. For them shall
be no fear, nor shall they grieve."]Quran 2:274[

Paying through installments

Definition:It is a postponed payment executed in a fixed number of
instalments at determined times, with a price higher than the cash
price.
Is such a sale allowed? Scholars have two opinions:
1-The first opinion:Many scholars of the Hanafi, Maaliki, Hanbali, and
Shafi'ee schools of jurisprudence rule that it is allowed. They
present the following proofs:
A- This form of sale is an example of the sales that are allowed in
the Quran where Allaah Says )what means(:"…Allaah has permitted trade
and has forbidden interest…"]Quran: 2:275[ And also:"…Except when it
is an immediate transaction which you conduct among yourselves…"]Quran
2:282[
B- Some prophetic narrations show the permissibility of the increase
above the cash price. For example, the Prophetordered 'Amr bin
Al-'Aasto equip an army, so 'Amr would buy a camel for the price of
two due to the payment being in instalments. ]Al-Haakim & Bayhaqi[
C- In Islam, trades and transactions are generally allowed, provided
they are conducted with a mutual consent of the contractors, unless
the particular type of transaction is specifically forbidden by the
Sharee'ah )Islamic Law(. Since there is no convincing proof that this
type of sale is prohibited, it remains allowed. Whoever claims
otherwise has to provide proof.
2-The second opinion:This is that of Imaams Zayn Al-'Aabideen 'Ali bin
Al-Husayn and Al-Jassaasfrom the Hanafi School of Jurisprudence, as
well as others who stated that increasing the price in exchange for
postponing a payment is similar to increasing the debt in exchange for
postponing its fulfilment. Their proofs are:
A-The verse where Allaah Says )what means(:"…Allaah has permitted
trade and has forbidden interest…"]Quran 2:275[ means that sales that
include an increase of price in exchange for deferring payments are
forbidden, because they are examples of Riba )interest(.
B-The Prophethas forbidden the addition of extraneous conditions to a
sale, or to have two sales in one.
C-There is an analogy of this type of sale with the case where some of
the debt is forgiven when the debtor pays before the due date. This
would mean that time has compensation, and this is plainly Riba.
D-The increase of price because of the deferred payment is an increase
in exchange for nothing in return, therefore it is a case of Riba,
which, by definition, means to hike up the price in exchange for
nothing.
The majority of the scholars have refuted the above proofs, presented
by those who prohibit this sale, as follows:
A-To say that this type of sale is like Riba because of the increase
of price is refuted. The Prophet,has determined the cases of Riba, and
some scholars have limited themselves to these cases while others have
added other cases they thought were considered Riba because they
fulfil the same causes. These cases are, however, the object of
disagreement between the scholars. But the matter that is disagreed
about in this particular case is beyond what was mentioned by the
Prophetand related cases, for it is about a sale in which the kind of
merchandise and the evaluation of the price have differed.
B-To say that Riba means an increase in price is also refuted because
almost every sale includes an increase in the price. The
abovementioned verse ]Quran: 2:275[ mentions the unlawfulness of Riba
in general, but the types of Riba were enumerated by the Prophetand
they were six types.Saleby instalments is not included in these six
types of Riba, nor is it included in the types added to them by some
scholars.
C-Taking as proof the Hadeeth )prophetic narration( that forbids two
sales in one, or extraneous conditions in a sale, is refuted because
the forbidden sales in that Hadeethare in fact sales where either the
price or the merchandise is not specified, which is not the case of
the instalment sale.
In conclusion, the most acceptable opinion is the one adopted by the
majority of the scholars, which allows this type of sale, because of
their strong proofs and because they convincingly addressed the proofs
presented by the other side. Also, the common interest of all the
Muslims requires that it be accepted due to the benefit for both the
buyer and the seller.
Two Fatwas )Legal Rulings( Concerning Instalments:
Question 1:What is the Islamic Ruling concerning the increase in the
price when there is a deferred payment executed in instalments?
Answer:Payment by instalments in sales contracts is allowed if it
includes legitimate conditions and permissible if the monetary amount
of the instalments is defined and the times of payment are fixed; as
Allaah Says )what means(:"O you who believe! When you contract a debt
for a specified term, write it down…"]Quran 2:282[ And also, due to
the Hadeeth: "Whoever loaned something, let him lend it in a known
measure, or a known weight, and for a fixed term." In addition, we
have the authentic story of Bareerahwho emancipated herself from her
masters in exchange for nine Ooqiyyaat )the plural of Ooqiyyah, one of
which is equivalent to three hundred and sixty Dirhams(, paying one
Ooqyyah a year, and this was a payment in instalments, and the
Prophetdid not condemn it; rather, he approved of it. ]Shaykh Ibn
Baaz[
This narration indicates that it is permissible to pay in instalments.
Even though the texts state that it is permissible to delay payment,
there is no text that explicitly states that it is permissible to
increase the price in return for the delay.
Hence, the scholars differed concerning the ruling on this issue. Some
scholars said that it is prohibited, on the grounds that it is the
same as Riba. They stated that this was due to the increase in price
in return for the deferment, which is Riba. On the other hand, the
majority of scholars, including the four Imaams, were of the view that
it is permissible. The comments of the scholars of the four Schools of
Fiqh )Islamic Jurisprudence( concerning this include the following:
·TheHanafiSchool: "The price may be raised in return for delaying
payment," ]Badaa'i' Al-Sanaa'i', 5/187[
·TheMaalikiSchool: "For more time some amount may be added to the
price." ]Bidaayat Al-Mujtahid, 2/108[
·The Shaafi'ee School: "Five in cash is equivalent to six in deferred
payment." ]Al-Wajeez by Al-Ghazzaali, 1/85[
·TheHanbaliSchool: "Delay adds something to the price." ]Fataawa Ibn
Taymiyyah, 29/499[
Question 2:A man living in the United Sates asks if instalments used
in car sales that include a fee for deferring payment is allowed. This
fee increases when the buyer fails to pay on the agreed due dates.
Answer:If someone sells cars or other merchandise for a known fixed
price that is payable by instalments that are fixed both in time and
amount, in such a way that the price does not change when the fixed
time of payment changes )i.e., payment is delayed(, then this sale is
allowed, for Allaah Says )what means(:"Oyou who believe! When you
contract a debt for a specified term, write it down…"]Quran 2:282[ But
if the price of the merchandise increases if an instalment is paid
after the due date, as it is understood in this question, then this is
forbidden by consensus of the scholars, because this is a case of
Riba, which is mentioned )and explicitly forbidden( in the Quran. ]The
General Committee for Religious Research, Fatawa, Da'wah, and
Guidance[

Ingratitude towards parents

"Say not to them a word of contempt, nor repel them, but address them
in terms of honour."]Quran 17:23[
In Islam, it is obligatory for us to show kindness, respect, and
obedience to our parents. The position of parents, and the mutual
obligations and responsibilities, have been addressed in Islam in
great detail. In fact, kindness and obedience is so strongly
emphasized that Allaah has linked showing gratitude to one's parents
with showing gratitude to Allaah. In the Noble Quran, Almighty Allaah
Says )which means(:
"And We have enjoined on man )to be good( to his parents: in travail
upon travail did his mother bear him, and in years twain was his
weaning: )hear the command(, "Show gratitude to Me and to your
parents: to Me is )your final( return."]Quran 31:14[
Sadly, we are living in a time where children speaking disrespectfully
to their parents and about their parents, is the norm rather than the
exception. However, Islam places great emphasis on respectful and
considerate behaviour to even our enemies, so to not uphold the
obligations laid down by Allaah to our parents is actually one of the
major sins.
In the Quran
Let's see what the Quran says about parents."This is the Book; in it
is guidance sure, without doubt, to those who fear Allaah."]Quran
2:02[
Treat parents with honour and speak to them graciously and with humility
Allaah Says )which means(:
"Your Lord hath decreed that you worship none but Him, and that you be
kind to parents. Whether one or both of them attain old age in your
life, say not to them a word of contempt, nor repel them, but address
them in terms of honour. And, out of kindness, lower to them the wing
of humility, and say: My Lord! Bestow on them Your Mercy even as they
cherished me in childhood."]Quran 17:23[
Be grateful to parents but do not obey them if they strive to make you
associate anything with Allaah
Allaah also Says )which means(:
"...Be grateful to Me and to both your parents; to Me is the eventual
coming. But if they strive to make thee join in worship with Me things
of which you have no knowledge, obey them not; yet bear them company
in this life with justice )and consideration(, and follow the way of
those who turn to Me )in love(: in the end the return of you all is to
Me, then will I inform you of what you did."]Quran 31:15[
These verses make it clear that we must honour our parents, appreciate
their sacrifices and efforts for us, and do our best for them. This is
required regardless of whether they are Muslims or not.
Be good to parents and everyone whom you meet
The Quran states )which means(:
"Worship Allaah, and join not any partners with Him; and do good- to
parents, kinsfolk, orphans, those in need, neighbours who are near,
neighbours who are strangers, the companion by your side, the wayfarer
)ye meet(, and what your right hands possess: For Allaah loves not the
arrogant, the vainglorious."]Quran 4:36[
If the Quran tells us to be good to a stranger, then how can we even
think of disrespecting our parents?
Hadeeth
Let's see what Prophet Muhammadsaid about parents in the authentic
Hadeeth )narrations(. Almighty Allaah Says )which means(:"Whatsoever
the Prophet gives you, take it and whatsoever he forbids you, refrain
from it."]Quran 59:7[
Undutifulness to parents is a major sin
Anasnarrated from Prophet Muhammadabout the major sins. He )the
Prophet( observed:'Associating anyone )or anything( with Allaah,
undutifulness to parents, killing a person and false
utterance.']Muslim[
One of the dearest deeds to Allaah is being good and dutiful to parents
'Abdullaah Ibn Mas'oodnarrated: I asked the Prophet"Which deed is the
dearest to Allaah?" He replied, "To offer the prayers at their early
stated fixed times." I asked, "What is the next )in goodness(?" He
replied, "To be good and dutiful to your parents"]Al-Bukhaari[
Being dutiful to parents is one of the keys to enter Paradise
Abu Hurayrahreported Prophet Muhammadas saying:Let him be humbled into
dust; let him be humbled into dust; let him be humbled into dust. It
was said: O Allaah's Messenger, who is he? He said: He who accompanies
either of his parents during their old age or one of them, but he does
not enter Paradise )by being undutiful to them(.]Muslim[
Acts of kindness we can do for our parents after their death
A man of the tribe of Salamah came to Prophet Muhammadand said:'O
Apostle of Allaah! Is there any kindness left that I can do to my
parents after their death?' He replied: 'Yes, you can invoke blessings
on them, forgiveness for them, fulfill their promises and pledges )to
do righteous deeds(, maintain ties with kinfolk for the mere reason of
being dutiful to them )i.e. parents(, and honour their friends.']Abu
Daawood[
The High Status given to Mothers
A man came to the Prophetand asked him for permission to fight Jihaad.
The Prophetasked him if he had a mother, and when he replied
affirmatively, hesaid,"Stay with her, for Paradise is at her feet
)i.e. she is the way leading to it(."]Ahmad[
Summary
Sometimes we may take our parents for granted and overlook their
importance. As Muslims, we should constantly be alert to guard
ourselves from sins; however, are we guarding ourselves from one of
the biggest major sins? Are we honouring and respecting our parents as
per their right? Or are we neglecting one of the dearest deeds to
Allaah?
Right now the choice is ours!
We ask Allaah the Most High, the All-Powerful, to teach us that which
will benefit us, and to benefit us by that which we learn.

Dought & clear, - Practices following Salaat.

Bismillahir Rhamanir Rhahiim
As Salaamu Alaikum WRWB!!!
My question is in reference to the shaking of hands following the
taslim after the obligatory salat. Also the raising of the hands and
making du'a following the taslim of the like salat. Insha Allah may
Allah (SWT) give us the strenght in gaining this knowledge. Jazak
Allahu Khairun.
As Salaamu Alaikum.
Praise be to Allaah.
Neither of the two customs which you mention have any basis in Islamic
texts. We should follow the Sunnah and keep away from innovations in
religion. The best guidance is the guidance of Muhammad)Peace &
Blessings of Allaah be upon Him(; the most evil of things are those
which are innovated; every innovation is a bid'ah and every bid'ah is
a going astray.
Know, may Allaah help me and you, that the reservation concerning this
matter does not have to do with shaking hands with a Muslim brother or
raising the hands in du'aa' to Allaah; it has to do with the timing of
these two actions, following the prayer, and making them a regular
habit. If one were to raise one's hands between the adhaan and the
iqaamah, as is encouraged in the Sunnah, or shake hands when meeting
one's brothers on the way into or out of the mosque, or when seeing a
brother next to one after a long absence, there is nothing wrong with
that at all. We ask Allaah to help us to follow the Sunnah and to
follow in the footsteps of His beloved, Muhammad)Peace & Blessings of
Allaah be upon Him(.
And Allaah knows best.

Dought & clear, - The baby started to choke whilst her mother was praying.

While I was praying my daughter 3 months of age started choking there
was no one at home except for me so I had to stop my prayer to come to
her aid is this haram what I had done or in emergency cases like this
is it okay to stop your prayer.
Praise be to Allaah.
What you did was not haraam and was not a sin; in fact it was
obligatory (waajib) upon you, because this comes under the heading of
saving lives which is encouraged in Islam. Allaah says (interpretation
of the meaning):
"…and if anyone saved a life, it would be as if he saved the life of
all mankind …" (al-Maa'idah 5:32)
It was reported from Ibn 'Abbaas, from Murrah al-Hamadaani, from
'Abd-Allaah and from a number of the Companions of the Messenger of
Allaah concerning the Tafseer of this aayah: "…and if anyone saved a
life means, saved someone from death, it would be as if he saved the
life of all mankind in the eyes of the person whose life was saved."
(Tafseer al-Tabari, 6/199)
Saving the life of a person whose life is protected in sharee'ah is
obligatory (waajib) on whoever is able to do so. Savinga life is one
of the five essentials which Islam came to protect (they are, life,
sanity, wealth, religion and lineage). With regard to the prayer, you
have to repeat it after you have helped the child. And Allaah knows
best.

Dought & clear, - Stopping one’s prayer in cases of necessity.

Is it permissible to stop one's prayer if the warning siren goes off
in the case of an accident?
Praise be to Allaah.
If the accident is major and serious, then it is OK to stop one's
prayer; if it is a minor incident that can be dealt with after
completing the prayer, then it is not permissible. The scholars said:
it is obligatory to stop one's prayer in order to save a negligent
person from a fatal accident. For example, if you are praying and you
see a snake approaching a man who is sitting down and has not noticed
it. If it is heading for him, you have to stop your prayer and tell
him so that he will not be bitten, possibly fatally. Or if you see a
blind man walking in front of you whilst you are praying, and he is
heading towards a well, and you are afraid that he may fall into it,
then you have to stop your prayer and save him from that fatal
accident, even if this means stopping your prayer. The same applies in
cases of fire, etc.
But if the siren goes off for a minor matter which can be dealt with
after completing the prayer and it will not be too late if you
complete the prayer first, then it is not permissible to stop your
prayer before you have completed it, because this accident can be
dealt with after completing the prayer, without anyone coming to
further harm. And Allaah knows best.

Dought & clear, - Praying in the dark.

What is the ruling on making salah in the dark, where you can't even
see your own hands?
Praise be to Allaah.
If the conditions of prayer are fulfilled and the essential parts or
pillars of the prayer are completed, then the prayer is valid. Light
is not an essential condition of prayer or an obligatory part of the
prayer. But if the darkness is a cause of fear which disturbs a person
to the point that he cannot have the necessary presence of mind and
humility (khushoo') in prayer, then it is makrooh for him to pray in
the dark.

Anger (Ghadab) and Islam: Anger management skills and techniques in Islam

Anger is one of the conditions of the soul, and possesses three states.
1.The state of excess, which is defined as what would put one outside
the bounds of Islam religion and its laws.
2.The state of deficiency, which is defined as the state in which one
fails to take a violent action even though it is necessary for his
self defense.
3.The state of moderation, in which anger is stimulated in appropriate
and permissible circumstances. Thus it is clear that the first and the
second states are amongst the vices of the soul (diseases of soul),
while the third is amongst ethical virtues produced by courage.
Excessive anger is a fatal disease, which can be considered as a type
of temporary madness. When it subsides, it is immediately followed by
remorse and repentance, which represent healthy responses of a
rational person.
Anger (Ghadab), Bad Temper and Human Vice according to Islamic teachings
Anger is a secret weapon of man towards evil but in the state of
excess, it results in the destruction of many noble qualities. It
snatches away the wisdom of man and thus he becomes a brute beast
devoid of any sense. Anger is a temptation and deception of Shaytaan.
Anger is the root of all evils. Anger is a spark of fire that is
always bursting. Anger is a very bad condition that weakens the person
Imaan (Faith). Anger is the strong feeling caused by extreme
displeasure and hostility.
Imam Ali (as)has said: "Anger is a stroke of madness, since the
afflicted later feels remorse and regrets. If someone does not feel
any remorse after anger, it means that his madness has become fixed."
Imam Ali (as) has also said: "Protect yourself from anger for its
beginning is insanity and its end is remorse."
Moreover, absolute absence of anger is also a vice, which drags man
into humiliation, subjugation and inability to defend his rights. In
order to cure excessive anger, one must first remove its causes. These
may be pride, selfishness, stubbornness, greed and other such vices.
One must also consider how unseemly excessive anger is, and how evil
its consequences may be.
Secondly, he must examine the benefits of forbearance and
self-restraint and associate with people who possess these qualities.
He must also realize that Allah's (SWT) power is supreme, and
everything is under His command, which would make him realize his own
weakness compared with the infinite power of Allah (SWT).
Thirdly, he should know that a person in a state of anger is not loved
by Allah (SWT); moreover, he may do something in anger, of which he
will be ashamed later on.
The opposite of anger is mildness and forbearance characteristics
which count amongst perfect qualities of the soul. They make a person
forgiving and merciful, although he may have complete power to take
revenge.
Noble Qur'an says: Keep to forgiveness, and enjoin what is fair, and
turn away from the ignorant. (7:199)
And Holy Prophet Muhammad (saw)has said: "Forgiveness raises a man's
station; forgive so that Allah (SWT) may honour you."

Anger management skills and techniques in Islam: Anger (Ghadab) and Islam

Do you find it hard to forgive someone who has done you wrong? Do you
often find yourself in heated arguments with the people with whom you
are closest? Have you ever been so angry that you could not remember
what you said or did? Have you ever gotten so angry that you resorted
to physical violence, hitting people or breaking things?
If you answered 'yes' to any of these questions, you might have an
anger problem. These are just a few of the symptoms of anger
addiction. This article offers the anger management skills and
techniques according to Islamic teachings.
Anger is a completely normal, usually healthy, human emotion. But when
it gets out of control and turns destructive, it can lead to problems
- problems at work, in your personal relationships and in the overall
quality of your life. And it can make you feel as though you are at
the mercy of an unpredictable and powerful emotion.
Anger is complex, bodily and emotional response. Even before you begin
to shout, hit or scream, your body functions changes drastically. Your
brain goes into crisis mode and releases powerful chemicals, telling
your body to prepare for attack. Your blood pressure skyrockets, your
heart rate rapidly increases and all of the blood is directed toward
unnecessary bodily processes. Your vision sharpens and your body
literally prepares for battle.
This natural process enables human beings to be both courageous and
outrageous. Our physical response to anger equips us to survive
dangerous circumstances. Our brains and bodies mobilize quickly to
respond to attacks by wild animals and rescuing others from danger.
But the same effective response that allows human beings to escape a
grizzly bear attack also drives us to hurt other people and destroy
relationship. In addition to destroying relationships, constant anger
can lead to serious health problems like persistent headaches, high
blood pressure, heart disease and strokes. Anger, quite literally, can
kill you.
Some people keep their anger buried deep inside. It's not good to hide
your anger, so you should find a way to let it out without hurting
yourself or others. As a matter of fact, the real problem is not anger
itself; the real problem is the mismanagement of anger. Mismanaged
anger and rage is the major cause of conflict in our personal as well
as professional relationships. Because, never getting angry is
impossible. Instead, remember that how you act when you are angry can
make the situation better or worse. Don't let anger be the boss of
you. Take charge of it! Stop anger before it destroys your life and
the lives of those around you. Effective anger management skills and
techniques benefit your health and your relationships.
Please note: Don't make decisions when you're angry and don't make
promises when you're happy.

The information beyond matter & Lawh-i Mahfuz

Information… This concept today means a lot more than it did even a
half century ago. Scientists are developing theories to define
information. Social scientists speak of "the information age."
Information is becoming a very important concept for humanity.
The discovery of information in the origin of both the universe and
life itself is what makes this concept so important in the modern
world. Scientists today are realizing that the universe is formed by
"matter, energy and information," and this is replacing the
materialistic philosophy of the nineteenth century that defined the
universe as being made up entirely of "matter and energy."
So, what does this all mean?
Let's explain through an example, that of DNA. All living cells
function according to the genetic information in the double helix
structure of DNA. Our bodies are also formed by trillions of cells
each with its own DNA, and all the functions of our bodies are
registered in this giant molecule. Our cells use protein codes
inscribed in the DNA to produce new proteins. The information that our
DNA possesses is so large that if you wanted to write it down, it
would fill up 900 volumes of encyclopedias, cover-to-cover!
Sowhat is DNA made up of? Fifty years ago, scientists would have
replied that DNA is formed by nucleic acids called nucleotides and the
chemical bonds holding these nucleotides together. In other words,
they used to list only the material elements of the DNA. But today,
scientists have a different answer: DNA is composed of atoms,
molecules, chemical bonds and, most importantly, information.
It's just like a book. We would be quite mistaken to say that a book
is only made up of paper, ink and binding for, alongside these
materials, it is the information that truly makes it a book. It is
information which separates a volume of theEncyclopedia Britannicafrom
a "book" formed by randomly arranged letters like ABICLDIXXGGSDLL.
Both have paper, ink and binding, but one has information while the
other does not. The source of information is the author of that book,
a mind with consciousness. Therefore we can't deny that the
information in DNA was placed there by an intelligent being.
The Information Dead End of Evolutionary Theory and Materialism
The discovery of this fact has sent materialist philosophy and
Darwinism, its application to the natural sciences, into a dead end,
because materialist philosophy claims that all living things are
formed by matter alone and that genetic information appeared somehow
by "chance." This is like saying that a book could be formed from a
random assemblage of paper and ink.
Materialism subscribes to the theory of "reductionism," which claims
that information can ultimately be reduced to matter. For this reason,
materialists say that there's no need to look for any source of
information besides matter. But this assertion has been proven to be
in error, and even materialists have started to owe up to this truth.
One of the leading defenders of the theory of evolution, George C.
Williams, pointed in a 1995 essay to the mistake of materialism
(reductionism), that is, assuming everything to consist of materials:
Evolutionary biologists have failed to realize that they work with two
more or less incommensurable domains: that of information and that of
matter… These two domains will never be brought together in any kind
of the sense usually implied by the term "reductionism." …The gene is
a package of information, not an object... In biology, when you're
talking about things like genes and genotypes and gene pools, you're
talking about information, not physical objective reality... This
dearth of shared descriptors makes matter and information two separate
domains of existence, which have to be discussed separately, in their
own terms. 1
Stephen C. Meyer, a philosopher of science from the Cambridge
University and who is critical of the theory of evolution as well as
materialism, says in an interview:
One thing I do in classes to get this idea across the students is that
I hold up two computer disks. One is loaded with software, the other
one is blank. And I ask, "What is the difference in mass between these
two computer disks as a result of the difference in the information
content that they possess"? And of course the answer is zero, none,
there is no difference as a result of the information. That is because
information is a massless quantity. Information is not a material
entity.
Then how can any materialistic explanation explain its origin? How can
any material cause explain its origin?... This creates a fundamental
challenge to the materialistic evolutionary scenarios.
In the 19th century, we thought that there were two fundamental
entities of science: Matter and energy. At the beginning of the 21st
century,we now recognize that there is a third fundamental entity, and
it is information. It is not reducible to matter; it is not reducible
to energy. 2
All theories put forward in the twentieth century to reduce
information to matter-like the random origin of life,
self-organization of matter, the biological theory of evolution that
has tried to explain species' genetic information through the
mechanism of mutation and natural selection-have failed. Professor
Phillip Johnson, a leading critic of Darwinism, wrote:
The real duality at every level of biology is the duality of matter
and information. The philosophers of mind-science fail to understand
the true nature of information because they assume that it is produced
by a material (i.e. Darwinian) process and hence is not something
fundamentally different from matter. But this is merely a prejudice
that would be swept away by unbiased thinking. 3
As Johnson states, "information is not matter, although it is
imprinted on matter. It comes from elsewhere, from an
intelligence...." Dr. Werner Gitt, a director and professor at the
German Federal Institute of Physics and Technology, expressed much the
same thought:
A coding system always entails a nonmaterial intellectual process. A
physical matter cannot produce an information code. All experiences
show that every piece of creative information represents some mental
effort and can be traced to a personal idea-giver who exercised his
own free will, and who is endowed with an intelligent mind....There is
no known law of nature, no known process and no known sequence of
events which can cause information to originate by itself in matter...
4
As we discussed above, a book is formed by paper, ink and the
information it includes. The source of this information is the mind of
the author.
And there is one more important point: This mind comes prior to the
material elements and it decides how to use them. A book first appears
in the mind of the person who will write that book. The author makes
logical connections and comes up with sentences. Later, in the second
stage, he gives these ideas a material form. By using a typewriter or
computer, he turns the information contained within his mind into
letters.
Later these letters go to a printing house and they make up a book.
So here, we can reach the following conclusion: "If matter includes
information, then that material has been pre-organized by a mind
possessing that information. First there was a mind, and then the
owner of that mind turned that information into matter and thus
created a design."
The Mind That Existed Before Matter
Therefore, the source of the information in nature cannot be the
matter itself, as the materialists claim. The source of information is
not matter, but rather a supra-material Mind. This Mind existed before
matter. The Mind created, shaped and organized the whole material
universe.
Biology isn't the only branch of science leading us to this
conclusion. Twentieth century astronomy and physics also demonstrated
the existence of an astonishing harmony and design, pointing to the
existence of a Mind that existed before the universe and created it.
Israeli scientist Gerald Schroeder who studied physics and biology in
universities like the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and
the author of the bookThe Science of God, makes some important remarks
on this subject. In his new book entitledThe Hidden Face of God:
Science Reveals the Ultimate Truth, he explains the conclusion reached
by molecular biology and quantum physics as follows:
A single consciousness, a universal wisdom, pervades the universe. The
discoveries of science, those that search the quantum nature of
subatomic matter, have moved us to the brink of a startling
realization:all existence is the expression of this wisdom. In the
laboratories we experience it as information that first physically
articulated as energy and then condensed into the form of matter.
Every particle, every being, from atom to human, appears to represent
a level of information, of wisdom. 5
According to Schroeder, the scientific results of our age lead science
and theology to meet at a common truth. This is the truth of Creation.
Science is now re-discovering this truth that divine religions have
actually taught to humanity for millennia.
The Lawh-i Mahfuz (The Preserved Tablet)
So far, we have looked at science's conclusions about the universe and
the origin of living things. The conclusion is that the entire
universe and life itself were created using a blueprint of magnificent
information that existed before.
This conclusion reached by modern science is strikingly in agreement
with a secret that was laid out in the Qur'an some 14 centuries ago.
In the Qur'an, a book sent to people as a guide, God announced that
the Lawh-i Mahfuz (the Preserved Tablet) existed before the creation
of the universe and that it furthermore explained all creation and
events in the universe.
The Lawh-i Mahfuz was "guarded" (mahfuz) so the things written there
were not changed or spoiled. In the Qur'an, this is called "Ommu
al-Kitabi" (The Mother of the Book), "Kitabun Hafeethun"
(All-Preserving Book), "Kitabin Maknoonin" (Well-Protected Book) or
just the book. It is also called Kitabin min Qabli (The Book of
Decrees) since it also tells of the events that humanity will face.
In many verses, God tells about the characteristics of the Lawh-i
Mahfuz. First of all, there is nothing missing from this book:
The keys of the Unseen are in His possession. No one knows them but
Him. He knows everything in the land and sea. No leaf falls without
His knowing it.There is no seed in the darkness of the earth, and
nothing moist or dry which is not in a Clear Book.(Qur'an, 6: 59)
One verse says that all life in the world is recorded in the Lawh-i Mahfuz:
There is no creature crawling on the earth or flying creature, flying
on its wings, who are not communities just like yourselves —We have
not omitted anything from the Book— then they will be gathered to
their Lord.(Qur'an, 6: 38)
In another verse, it is stated that "on earth and in the heavens," in
the entire universe, all creatures and things, including the smallest
speck, are known by God and recorded in the Lawh-i Mahfuz:
You do not engage in any matter or recite any of the Qur'an or do any
action without Our witnessing you while you are occupied with it.Not
even the smallest speck eludes your Lord, either on earth or in
heaven. Nor is there anything smaller than that, or larger, which is
not in a Clear Book.(Qur'an, 10: 61)
All information concerning humanity is in the Lawh-i Mahfuz, and this
includes the genetic code of all people and their destinies:
Nonetheless they are amazed that a warner should have come to them
from among themselves and those who disbelieve say, "What an
extraordinary thing! When we are dead and turned to dust? That would
be a most unlikely return!"We know exactly how the earth eats them
away. We possess an all-preserving Book.(Qur'an, 50: 2-4)
The following verse states that God's words in the Lawh-i Mahfuz are
endless, and this is explained through an example:
If all the trees on earth were pens and all the sea, with seven more
seas besides, was ink God's words still would not run dry. God is
Almighty, All-Wise.(Qur'an, 31: 27)
Conclusion
The facts that we explored in this article prove yet again that the
findings of modern science confirm what religion teaches to people.
The materialist dogmatism that has been imposed on science is in fact
rejected by science itself.
The conclusions of modern science about information serve to
objectively demonstrate who is right in a dispute that has been raging
for thousands of years. This dispute has been waged between
materialist thought and religion. Materialist thought claims that
matter is without beginning and that nothing existed before matter.
Religion, on the other hand, states that God existed before matter,
and that matter is created and ruled by God's endless knowledge.
The fact that this truth, which has been taught by divine religions -
like Judaism, Christianity and Islam - since the dawn of history, has
been proved by the findings of science, is an indication of the
impending post-atheist age. Humanity is getting closer to realizing
that God truly exists and He is the "All-Knowing." Just as reminded to
people in the following verse of the Holy Qur'an:
Do you not know that God knows everything in heaven and earth? That is
in a Book. That is easy for God.(Qur'an, 22: 70)
___________________________________________
( 1) George C. Williams. The Third Culture: Beyond the Scientific
Revolution. (ed. John Brockman). New York, Simon & Schuster, 1995, pp.
42-43
( 2)Stephen Meyer, "Why Can't Biological Information Originate Through
a Materialistic Process", Unlocking the Mystery of Life, DVD, Produced
by Illustra Media, 2002
( 3) Phillip Johnson, The Wedge of Truth: Splitting the Foundations of
Naturalism , Intervarsity Press, Illinois, 2000, p. 123
( 4) Werner Gitt. In the Beginning Was Information. CLV, Bielefeld,
Germany, pp. 107, 141
( 5) Gerald Schroeder, The Hidden Face of God, Touchstone, New York, 2001, p. xi

Scientific investigations into the essence of matter

All the information we have about the world we live in is conveyed to
us by our five senses. The world we know consists of what our eye
sees, our hand feels, our nose smells, our tongue tastes, and our ears
hear. We never think that the "external" world can be other than what
our senses present to us, since we've been depending on only those
senses since the day we were born.
However, modern scientific research in many different fields points to
a wholly different understanding, creating serious doubt about our
senses and the world we perceive with them. This approach's starting
point is the notion that any "external world" is only a response
created in our brain by electrical signals. The red hue of an apple,
the hardness of wood, your mother, father, your family, and everything
that you own—your house, your job,—and even the lines of this article,
are composed of electrical signals only.
In this picture, we see someone who feels himself skiing on the
mountains, whereas there is really neither skis nor snow. This
illusion is artificially created.
Thanks to present technological developments, it's possible to have
realistic experiences without the need for an "external world" or
"matter." The incredible advancement in virtual reality technology has
come up with some especially convincing proofs.
To put it simply, virtual reality is the projection of
computer-generated three-dimensional images that appear to be real
with the aid of some devices. This technology, with its diverse range
of applications, is known as "virtual reality," "virtual world," or
"virtual environment." Its most important feature is that by the use
of some purposely constructed devices, it misleads the person
experiencing it into believing the experience to be real. In recent
years, the word "immersive'' has begun to be used in front of the term
"virtual reality," reflecting the way that witnesses are literally
immersed in the experience.
The rationale of any virtual reality system is based on our five human
senses. For instance, when the user puts on a special glove, devices
inside transmit signals to the fingertips. When these signals are
relayed to and interpreted by the brain, the user experiences the
sensation of touching a silk fabric or ornate vase, complete with all
of its surface details—without any such thing actually existing in the
environment.
One of virtual reality's foremost applications is in medicine.
Michigan University has developed a technology that trains assistant
practitioners—in particular, the personnel of emergency wards—to learn
their skills in a virtual reality lab, in which environment is created
by projecting the details of an operating room onto the floor, walls,
and ceiling of a room. The "picture" is completed by projecting an
operating table, complete with the patient to be operated on, onto the
center of the room. The surgeons-to-be put on their 3-D glasses and
begin their "virtual" operation. And anyone viewing the images
reflected on the 3-D glasses cannot distinguish a real operating room
from this virtual one.
Do We Live in a Holographic Universe?
New Scientistis one of the best-known science magazines. Its March 27,
2002 cover story was written by scientist J.R. Minkel, titled "Hollow
Universe." "Why we all live in a hologram" the cover headline
reported. To sum up the article, we perceive the world as a single
bundle of light. Therefore, it would be a mistake to consider matter
as the absolute truth by relying on our perceptions. Admits Minkel:
You're holding a magazine. It feels solid; it seems to have some kind
of independent existence in space. Ditto the objects around
you—perhaps a cup of coffee, a computer. They all seem real and out
there somewhere. But it's all an illusion.
Minkel's article states that some scientists call this idea the
"theory of everything," and that scientists consider this theory the
first step towards explaining the nature of the universe. This
magazine article explains scientifically that we perceive the universe
as an illusion in our brains and that, therefore, we are not
interacting with matter itself.
Perceptions Lost to the Senses, Recovered with Artificial Signals
In its March 11, 2002 issue,Time magazinepublished an article entitled
"The Body Electric," revealing an important scientific development.
The article reported that scientists melded computer chips with
patients' nervous systems to treat permanent damage to their senses.
With their newly developed systems, researchers in the USA, Europe and
Japan aimed to give sight to the blind and help paralyzed patients
recover. They have already achieved partial success with this new
system by planting electrodes into the relevant areas of the body, and
silicon chips were used to connect artificial limbs with living
tissue.
Following an accident, a Danish patient by the name of Brian Holgersen
was paralyzed from the neck down, except for very limited movement in
his shoulders, left arm and left hand. As is known, such paralysis is
caused by damage to the spinal cord in the neck and back. The nerves
are damaged or blocked, disabling neural traffic between brain and
muscles, and cutting off communication between the nerves that
transmit signals back and forth from the body to the brain. With this
patient, the aim was to bridge his spinal cord's damaged area with an
implant, letting signals from the brain bring back a little movement
to the arms and legs.
They used a system designed to recover basic functions of the left
hand, like grasping, holding and releasing objects. In an operation,
eight small coin-sized flexible cuff electrodes were implanted into
the muscles responsible for those movements in the patient's upper
left arm, forearm and shoulder. Later, ultrathin wires connected these
electrodes to a stimulator—a kind of pacemaker for the nervous system—
implanted in his chest. The stimulator was in turn linked to a
position-sensing unit attached to Holgersen's right shoulder—over
which he retains some motor control.
Now, when the patient wants to pick up a glass, he moves his right
shoulder upward. This movement sends an electrical signal from the
position sensor, worn under his clothing, to the stimulator in his
chest, which amplifies it and passes it along to appropriate muscles
in his arm and hand. They contract in response, and his left hand
closes. When he wants to release the glass, he moves his right
shoulder downward, and his left hand opens.
The University of Louvain in Brussels used a similar application of
technology in relation to eyesight. A patient's rod and cone cells had
degenerated, causing the retina to become insensitive to light.
Consequently, she became blind. An electrode implanted around her
right optic nerve enabled her to regain partial sight.
In this patient's case, the electrode was connected to a stimulator
placed inside a cavity in the skull. A video camera, worn on a cap,
transmitted the images to the stimulator in the form of radio signals,
bypassing the damaged rod and cone cells, and delivered the electric
signals directly to the optic nerve. The brain's visual cortex
reassembled these signals to form an image. The patient's experience
is comparable to watching a miniature stadium billboard, but the
quality is nevertheless sufficient to prove that this system is
viable.
This system is called a "Microsystem-based Visual Prosthesis," a
device permanently implanted into the patient's head. But to make it
all work, the patient needs to go to a specially designated room in
the University of Louvain and wear what looks like a badly damaged
bathing cap. The bathing cap is made of plastic with a standard video
camera installed on its front. The more pixels there are to form an
image on the screen, the greater the number of electrical
stimulations; therefore, the greater the resolution quality of the
image.
The same article referred to an interesting show by a performance
artist who made use of the same technology:
During one 1998 performance, Stelarc wired himself up directly to the
Internet. His body was dotted with electrodes—on his deltoids, biceps,
flexors, hamstrings and calf muscles—that delivered gentle electric
shocks, just enough to nudge the muscles into involuntary
contractions. The electrodes were connected to a computer, which was
in turn linked via the Internet to computers in Paris, Helsinki and
Amsterdam. By pressing various parts of a rendering of a human body on
a touch screen, participants at all three sites could make Stelarc do
whatever they wished.
These technologies, provided that they can be sufficiently reduced in
size and placed inside the body, will pave the way for radically new
developments in medicine. These developments demonstrate another
important fact: The external world is a copied image that we watch in
our minds…
TheNew Scientist's April 27, 2002 issue with its cover story, "Hollow
Universe" and headline, "Why we all live in a hologram."
TheTimearticle showed practical examples of how we can create
perceptions like sight or touch by artificially created impulses. The
most obvious proof is that a blind person was able to see. Despite the
patient's eye not being functional, she could see by means of
artificially created signals.
"The Body Electric," an article inTime magazine's March 11, 2002
issue, contained evidence proving that the external world is a copied
image in our mind.
Can the Virtual Worlds of Some Films Be Duplicated in the Real World?
In "Life is a sim and then you're deleted," an article published in
the July 27, 2002 issue of New Scientist magazine, Michael Brooks
states that we might well be living in a virtual world not unlike the
one in the filmMatrix: "No need to wait for Matrix 2 to come out. You
could already be living in a giant computer simulation... Of course
you thoughtThe Matrixwas fiction. But only because you were meant to."
Author Brooks supports his views by quoting philosopher Nick Bostrom
of Yale University, who believes that Hollywood movies come much
closer to reality than we realize. He calculates, too, that there is
some probability that we are living in a simulated or virtual world as
some movies depict.
The scientific fact, much better understood in recent years, that we
are not interacting with matter itself, causes people to reflect more
deeply. This situation, the frequent inspiration for movies, points
out that virtual environments recreate reality so realistically that
people can be fooled by these illusionary images.
Materialism, Like Every Other False Philosophy, Has Been Destroyed
The philosophy of materialism has existed throughout history. Its
adherents relied on the supposedly absolute existence of matter while
denying God, Who has created them from nothing and also created for
them the universe they live in. But the clear evidence leaves no room
for discussion. Consequently, matter disappears—on which they based
their lives and thoughts, pride and denial. By their own research,
strangely enough, materialist scientists discovered that everything
they see is not matter itself, but in reality a copy or image formed
in the brain. And thus, they themselves brought down their materialist
beliefs.
The twenty-first century is a turning point in history, in which this
reality will spread among all peoples, and materialism will be wiped
from the face of the Earth. Some, under the influence of the
materialist philosophy, who believed that matter is absolute, now have
come to realize that they themselves are illusions, that the only
absolute being is God, Whose Being encompasses all there is. This
reality is revealed in one of the verses:
God bears witness that there is no god but Him, as do the angels and
the people of knowledge, upholding justice. There is no god but Him,
the Almighty, the All-Wise.(Qur'an, 3: 18)

The secret beyond matter is not Wahdatul Wujood

topic dealt with in the book The Evolution Deceit, chapter "The Real
Essence of Matter" as well as in the books Matter: The Other Name for
Illusion; Idealism, The Philosophy of the Matrix and the True Nature
of Matter, Eternity Has Already Begun; Timelessness and the Reality
of Fateand Knowing the Truthhas been criticized by some people. Having
misunderstood the essence of the subject, these people claim that what
is explained as the secret beyond matter is identical to the teaching
of Wahdatul Wujood.
Let us state, before all else, that the author of this book is a
believer strictly abiding by the doctrine of Ahlus Sunnah and does not
defend the view of Wahdatul Wujood.
However, it should also be remembered that Wahdatul Wujood was
defended by some leading Islamic scholars including Muhyiddin Ibn
'Arabi. It is true that numerous significant Islamic scholars who
described the concept of Wahdatul Wujood in the past did so by
considering some subjects found in these books. Still, what is
explained in these books is not the same as Wahdatul Wujood.
Some of those who defended the view of Wahdatul Wujood were engrossed
by some erroneous opinions and made some claims contrary to the Qur'an
and the doctrine of Ahlus Sunnah. They, for example, completely
rejected the creation of Allah. When the subject of the secret beyond
matter is told, however, there is definitely no such claim. This
section explains that all beings are created by Allah, and that the
originals of these beings are seen by Him whereas people merely see
the images of these beings formed in their brains.
Mountains, plains, flowers, people, seas—briefly everything we see and
everything that Allah informs us in the Qur'an that exists and that He
created out of nothing is created and does indeed exist. However,
people cannot see, feel or hear the real nature of these beings
through their sense organs. What they see and feel are only the copies
that appear in their brains. This is a scientific fact taught at all
schools primarily in medicine. The same applies to the article you are
reading now; you can not see nor touch the real nature of it. The
light coming from the original article is converted by some cells in
your eyes into electrical signals, which are then conveyed to the
sight center in the back of your brain. This is where the view of this
article is created. In other words, you are not reading an article
which is before your eyes through your eyes; in fact, this article is
created in the sight center in the back of your brain. The article you
are reading right now is a "copy of the article" within your brain.
The original article is seen by Allah.
In conclusion, the fact that the matter is an illusion formed in our
brains does not "reject" the matter, but provides us information about
the real nature of the matter: that no person can have connection with
its original.
This fact is told in the book Idealism, The Philosophy of the Matrix,
and the True Nature of Matteras follows:
THERE IS MATTER OUTSIDE OF US, BUT WE CANNOT REACH IT
… [S]aying that matter is an illusion does not mean it does not exist.
Quiet the contrary: whether we perceive the physical world or not, it
does exist. But we see it as a copy in our brain or, in other words,
as an interpretation of our senses. For us, therefore, the physical
world of matter is an illusion.
The matter outside is seen not just by us, but by other beings too.
The angels Allah delegated to be watchers witness this world as well:
And the two recording angels are recording, sitting on the right and
on the left. He does not utter a single word, without a watcher by
him, pen in hand!(Qur'an, 50: 17-18)
Most importantly, Allah sees everything. He created this world with
all its details and sees it in all its states. As He informs us in the
Qur'an:
… Heed Allah and know that Allah sees what you do.(Qur'an, 2: 233)
Say: "Allah is a sufficient witness between me and you. He is
certainly aware of and sees His servants."(Qur'an, 17: 96)
It must not be forgotten that Allah keeps the records of everything in
the book called Lawh Mahfuz (Preserved Tablet). Even if we don't see
all things, they are in the Lawh Mahfuz. Allah reveals that He keeps
everything's record in the "Mother of the Book" called Lawh Mahfuz
with the following verses:
It is in the Source Book with Us, high-exalted, full of wisdom.(Qur'an, 43: 4)
… We possess an all-preserving Book.(Qur'an, 50: 4)
Certainly there is no hidden thing in either heaven or Earth which is
not in a Clear Book.(Qur'an, 27: 75)

Story, - Am I wasting my time?

Im in a relationship for more than 3 years now, at first i felt the
love that we both have for each other but as time passes by Im slowly
feeling incomplete longing for something or someone I dont know. I try
not to admit it to myself thinking that its normal for long commitment
to experience ups and down. But, what makes me sad is im not getting
younger, would id stay wd d person that im 101% sure of loving me even
though im not happy anymore or just simply quit and give up our almost
four year relationship.
Another thing that upsets me is his immaturity, Im 26 and he is two
years younger than me but its not an excuse for him to be that
immature. Im already on my way to finish my masters degree while he is
not doing anything for our future.
Im working and he is just staying home not even studying. Ive done
everythng to push him through but every thing seems useless to him and
now im losing my patience.
What shall i do?

Story, - Тhe secret lover

once there lived a boy in the London city in England. He lived on his
Own in a bunglow with an old and loyal servent who looked after him
until he grew up. The boy lost his parents in an car accident in which
he was also there but his destiny was to live more and his parents
died. His father Mr. Richard was the leading of the biggest Business
tycoon in the whole England. After deadth of his parents the hier of
all the business, assests and the banglow the Wilson Mansion was the
boy as he was his only son of his parents.
The company of his father the Wilson Enterprises now belonged to him
but as he was to small to handle the company by himslef the company
was given in hands of the directors who worked under his father and
they handeled the company till they grew 21 and then the whole
responsibility of the company would be given to him. The boy Bruce was
16 now and was in class 8 in Richard High School which was his
father's school. Everyday he went to school and his servant William
took care of the house and used to pick up and drop Bruce to the
school.
The life of Bruce would go on like that like a daily routine unless a
girl came in her life. Betty, a beautiful girl who was in Bruce's
class from nursery. Bruce never paid attention towards Betty in his
childhood as she was not so forward and upcomming in the class and had
a humourous attitute towards others and was never serious. The deadth
of Betty's father changed her life and from that time Betty always
looked sad and serious. Now she was very straight forward and
upcomming in the class and gave competition to Bruce in school exams
which Bruce liked. As Betty grew she became more gorgeous and
beautiful. Every boy in her class had a crush on her. Bruce was also
one of them.
Bruce started liking Betty but never expressed his feelings towards
her because of his shy character. Betty used to take tutions at
Bruce's house. Bruce's servant used to give tutions to the children of
his class. William was well educated and brought up Bruce and helped
in his studies after his perents died. One day Bruce proposed Betty by
writing a nice song for her in a letter and kept in her bag. After
going home Betty opened her bag and saw the letter and was shocked.
When betty came for tutions she asked Bruce about the letter he wrote
to her. Bruce didn't know what to do as he tought this would effect
his friendship if she rejected his proposal. he gave an excuse that it
was a prank done by his friends of his class and Betty blushed at
Bruce and ignored the letter written by him.
Bruce now always thought of Betty and this distracted his studies.
Bruce's teachers now complained the principle that Bruce is not
concentrating towards his studies and Bruce is given a warning by his
principle. Betty comes to know from her friend that Bruce has a crush
on her and loves her but Betty always thinks it as a joke and ignors.
After few years, when Bruce's schooling is over Bruce wants to join
the college in which Betty goes. But Betty joins a girls college as
her friends joined there and Bruce unwillingly joins another college.
Then as the time passes they both get busy in their life Betty forgets
Bruce but bruce is still love with Betty.
One day Bruce is with his friend and talks with him about Betty there
he comes to know that Betty has been engaged. Now he thinks he has
made too late to propose Betty but gives a try and tells Betty how he
feels about her since years but feared to tell her. Betty is shocked
upon hearing this and disconnects the phone and never answers Bruce
again about her dicision. Bruce is now sad but waits for her answer.
Now two years passed away and Betty didn't reply Bruce. Bruce is still
waiting for her answer and as Betty is far away from Bruce, he
collects Betty's photos which he had and makes a collection for her to
give her a suprise and to show his love towards her.

Fathwa, - Evidence that Muraabahais permissible

Question
salam, can you please provide the references of hadiths which permits
murabaha transaction?
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify
that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad,
is His Slave and Messenger.
Muraabahah is the sale of goods at cost plus a known profit mark-up
and it is stipulated that the two parties of the contract must know
the cost.Ibn Qudaamahsaid: "This is permissible and there is no
difference in opinion regarding its validity and we do not know any
scholar who disliked it."
The evidence of permissibility is the general text and the general
principle. As for the text, it is the saying of Allaah The Almighty
)which means(: }And Allaah has permitted trade{]Quran 2:275[ As for
the principle, it reads: "The basic principle concerning transactions
is that they are permissible" asAl-Qaraafistated in Al-Furooq and as
stated by other Muslim scholars.
The Fifth Conference of the Islamic Fiqh Council held in Kuwait issued
the following statement regarding that kind of sale: "Muraabaha sale
by purchase orderer is permissible on goods already in the physical
possession of the seller, as required by Sharee'ah, provided the
seller carries the risk of loss before delivery or the consequences of
returning the purchased goods because of unseen defects or any other
reasons justifying the return of the goods after their reception,
provided the conditions of the )valid( sale are met and with the
absence of any impediments."
Finally, we do not know any Hadeeth that indicates Muraabahah in
particular apart from other forms of sale; however, it is included in
the general text that we have stated previously.
Allaah Knows best.

Fathwa, - Her daughter's future in-laws seek help from Awliaa' and visit their shrines

Question
Assalamu walikum I Need help and advice on wat to do for my daugher
who's marriage is being fixes at the moment, I have just found out
that the family she will be marring into have a different Muslim
belief then us they believe in phir awalia and do every thing
according to that, they have shrines that they visit )azmi sharif( for
example and also shrines of other Awalias who are their descendants.
We are Sunni Muslims and only believe in our beloved prophet Mohammad
)pbuh( they believe that these descendants advice them about every
thing in life as we do Istakara. I am shocked and heart broken by
hearing this as the children that will be born will have to follow
that belief. Am I being stupid to think this isn't right. My daughter
is heart broken too, wat do I do? To me they sound like Shia Muslim
not that I have any thing against Shia Muslim, as a Sunni I have a
very big doubt in my mind I asked the parents if they were Shia they
denied it, so wat kind of Muslim are they? Can any one tell me wat
this belief is. I'm worried and scared of the shame in the family that
I will have to go through if I break this alliance. Or am I being too
skeptical about their beliefs pls some one help me to understand this
kind belief . I thank u all as a heart broken mother
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify
that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad,
is His Slave and Messenger.
If the groom and his family believe that the dead have control over
the universe, know the unseen, remove distresses )from people( and the
like of what is exclusively related to Allaah The Almighty only, or
they direct an act of worship such as supplication, slaughtering and
the like to the dead people, then this is all included in the major
form of Shirk that takes one out of the fold of Islam and it is not
permissible to give your daughter in marriage to the one who holds
that belief and does such polytheistic matters. For more benefit,
please refer to Fataawa 82393and 85126.
Accordingly, it is not permissible to let fear of shame prevent you
from canceling that engagement. This has nothing to do with
exaggeration or stupidity. Rather, this is something Islamically
obligatory upon you. It is not important to know the name of the sect
that they belong to; rather, what is important is to know the reality
of their beliefs and acts because they are the main principles on
which the ruling of marrying them is based.
As for your statement "we are Sunni Muslims and only believe in our
beloved ProphetMuhammad", we do not know what you mean by that. Sunni
Muslims believe thatMuhammad, is the slave and messenger of Allaah and
do not believe that the Prophet, has something from the
characteristics of Allaah, as Allaah The Almighty says )what means(:
• }Say, "I hold not for myself ]the power of[ benefit or harm, except
what Allaah has willed. And if I knew the unseen, I could have
acquired much wealth, and no harm would have touched me. I am not
except a warner and a bringer of good tidings to a people who
believe."{]Quran 7:188[
• }Say, "I am only a man like you, to whom has been revealed that your
god is one God. So whoever would hope for the meeting with his Lord -
let him do righteous work and not associate in the worship of his Lord
anyone."{]Quran 18:110[, among many more other evidences.
Allaah Knows best.

Fathwa, - His mother takes two pensions against state rules

Question
My Parents, Both Father and Mother were Govt Employed My Father died
after retirement. Now my mother is taking his Pension and also she is
getting her pension. According to Karnataka state Govt. she can,t take
both pension, in islam she can take pension of both.
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify
that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad,
is His Slave and Messenger.
If the pension that the government pays after a person's death is an
aid from it, not one of the rights of the dead person, then it is
obligatory to abide by what the granting authority defined. So, if it
stated that it is to be given to his wife who does not work and his
children who are minors, then it is not permissible for your mother to
take that pension if she works because she does not meet the condition
of the aid. If she takes the aid in this case, then she has consumed
the money of the government unjustly while Allaah The Almighty says
)what means(: }And do not consume one another's wealth
unjustly.{]Quran 2:188[
On the other hand, if the money that the government pays is due money
of the dead person such as the case when the government deducts it
from his salary while he is alive to be given to him at the end of his
service, then that money is an inheritance that should be divided
among the heirs and there will be no blame on your mother if she takes
it, even if she works and has a salary.
Allaah Knows best.